PlantFiles: Dwarf Chenille, Firetail
Acalypha reptans

I really like this plant, and don't see it around too often. The first two winters with this plant was misserable. It would drop all leaves and almost die, when we brought it in for the winter. We tried to condition it in for a while then out for a while before the first frost. No help, I was tempted to just cut it all the way back and hope for the best. This year we experimented with misting it since it seamed to like the himidity. It does not like to be dry, three times a day with the mister seams to be about right. It has started to bloom again this month. Small birds usually try to pick at the blooms early in the year, but leave it alone after the first few attemts. Must taste bad. ;-)

Gorgeous plants with smaller blooms than some of the other chenille plant varieties. I do love these plants and they are great for indoors. They can be hard to get to bloom, use indoor plant fertilizers and keep well watered. They do not like colder weather. I bring mine into the bathroom with me when I shower to give it some humidity. It seems to like that. (well, as far as I can tell)

I love this plant! Commonly called a Strawberry Firetail or "Chenille Plant". I just recently purchased 3 small 4" plants and one large 6" plant. I have tried growing this plant many times before, and never had much success at getting it to "bloom". However, I lived in a small place that was rather cold and had little sunlight. Now, The plants are on a lovely plant stand and get good morning light. I am hopeful that the plants will flourish and bloom now that they are warm and get a decent amount of light.

If anyone has any tips for growing these lovely plants indoors and getting them to flower, please let me know. I will be fertilizing them as well to help "entice them" into growing. The larger of the plants is now in a self watering pot. I've been bringing it into the bathroom when I shower as well, to provide humidity.

Thanks, and good luck with this beautiful plant!

I live in Queensland Australia, I planted a small pot of acalypha reptans in my garden, looked gorgeous took over. I eventually had to pull some out, everytime I touched it and this is wearing gardening gloves I got these violent headaches 24/7 that would last a week, I was getting in the garden every fortnight, so every two weeks I would end up with these violent headaches, sometimes vomiting. I am now acalypha reptan free and have'nt had a headache for about 8 months. I would like to know if anyone else has experienced this problem, or similar.

Kim

Low maintenance plant. Blooms constantly and spreads rapidly. No pest or disease problems. Doesn't take low temperatures too well.

I use mine as a groundcover also. very pretty, did not die for me in winter. low maint. spreads but easy to remove.

It has been living with no care in my zone 9 garden for 3 years now. Frost has not bothered it, possibly it is protected by taller plants overhead. Has bloomed through wet and dry and made a lovely unusual ground cover. Children are especially fascinated by it.

Note, the hardiness zones are no joke. I left mine outside in zone 8b during a light freeze and it's dead! Bring 'em inside!

Nice looking. I use it as a houseplant in the winter and then it remains outside once our weather has warmed.

I have grown this plant both in Japan, near Tokyo, and now in San Diego, CA. In both places it seemed happy in shade or dappled shade and flowered profusely. Here I leave it in the ground all year round, but in Japan, I used to pot it up and bring it in for the winter, no problem. Kept it a bit back from a window with south exposure so it got bright light, and it prospered. I do recall that when given full, bright sun in that window, it was unhappy, so I draped it with a very thin scarf on sunny days.
Far from making a shrub, it lies prostrate on the ground and spreads by forming new roots at (don't know exactly how to describe this) the nodes that touch the soil. Several times I have either dug up these new rooted sections and sent them in trades or transplanted them, but sometimes they do not do well. Perhaps they don't like traveling in a box, or maybe they don't like being rudely chopped off. That apart, they seem to thrive on neglect, provided only that they get water.

I've had my red firetail plant in a hanging basket,outside, in moderate sun. I live in Wisconsin- temp. now (summer) is averaging in the 70's day, 50's night.

I keep the soil moist (moderate). It is thriving. I have tendrils that are over a foot long, and heavy "tails".
Perhaps I'll try bringing it in the house when it turns cooler outside. It is a real conversation piece.

I just bought this plant in a hanging basket. I have it outside for the summer and will bring it into the house in the winter.

This species is a small version of the common Red-Hot Cat Tail. The general requirements are also quite similar. The only differences I notice is the bloom (never get so long) and the habitus (herbaceous, very short plant).